REDWITCH STORY - PAGE 4

The Redwitch Story (continued from Page 3)

However she was very important to the advancement of the Redwitches. Zee Zee Flash had been mated to Dark ‘n’ Debonaire to produce the sibling Champions, Redwitch Dancin in the Dark and his sister Redwitch Dancing Queen. “Rave” (Dancin in the Dark) has an amazing story. He was promised as the best male in his litter long before he was born to Ole Stukka, but when Jenny bathed and blow-dried him before he left as a 12 week old puppy, she remembers saying to Dave “We’re wrong to let this one go”, but they kept their word and Rave went to Scandinavia where he was hugely successful in the ring, winning many BISs. Many of his wins were under leading British judges who were very impressed with the latest Redwitch export, some even suggesting that this dog was better than anything they had at home.

At the time Rave was winning, the breed had not yet been split into two breeds by FCI. As his owner wanted to go down the Japanese route and realised that Rave would not fit in with that ideal, he agreed that the Killileas should have him back. His return home was nothing short of sensational. At Southern Counties he went to his first UK show where Harry Jordan made him BOB with his first CC and he won the group under Dennis Coxall. He won his title at the next two shows and at the East of England he won BIS under Michael Quinney.

The Killileas have sent several significant dogs overseas. In the early 1990s they had let the bitch, Redwitch High Hopes, go to New Zealand where she blazed a trail for Akitas out there, winning more than any other of the breed at the time. She was by Dark ‘n’ Debonaire out of Goshens Dream On with Farmbrook, a bitch that was imported by Chris and Sue Thomas. When they split up, she went to Redwitch and in an earlier litter to Heir Apparent had produced Ch Redwitch Designer Label.

1997 was certainly Rave’s year, winning 13 CCs and only losing BOB once which was to Love Action. Of the remaining five dog CCs, two were won by other Redwitch dogs.

Rave ended up with 16 groups – if you include two BUBA BISs – and six all breeds BISs along with three Reserve BISs including Crufts. In 1997 he was Runner Up Top Dog. His final tally of CCs was thirty, retiring with BOB at Crufts in 1999, when he bettered his previous year’s G2.

With his charismatic appearance and incredible show record, one would have thought that Rave would be a popular stud dog outside the home kennel. However the Killileas are very selective who use their stud dogs and in any event are not exactly overrun with enquiries.

Jenny and Dave are realists. “Sadly we have a lot of politics in the breed. We have allowed good stock to go to various people who have had great success with them. Often they then want to beat you in the ring, but instead of coming back to use the right dogs, they go off and do their own thing and eventually lose the plot. It’s their loss.”

One bitch who was thankfully mated to Rave was the Killileas’ own Ch Oktumi Valentine at Redwitch, litter sister to Love Action who ended up with more than twenty CCs, and from this came an interesting dog, Redwitch Rave On.

He was shown once as a puppy and once as a Junior, winning both his classes a Reserve CC. Dave recalls “This was one very strong dog, he had a mind of his own and he guarded me like crazy. He was also very vocal and whilst he would never actually bite, he could grumble a bit and some judges just won’t take that. As we still had Rave rolling along, we sent him to our good friend Wayne Welch in Barbados where he was Top Dog All Breeds for three years.” Wayne Welch has had many top winning dogs from the Killileas and has just brought out successfully a Rottweiler that Dave bought, reared, schooled, and sent out to him.

Before he left the country Rave On was used on two or three bitches, one of which was Redwitch In Your Dreams, a Rave daughter from a bitch who was by Bigger Is Better out of Ch Redwitch Kiss ‘n’ Tell.

The litter contained six puppies, one of which became the first Champion for Gary and Gail Parsons, Redwitch Chance a Glance at Sukari. Two remained at home and became instant stars. In 1999 Redwitch Feel Free to Stare and his litter sister, Stare If You Dare, had won a RCC very early on in their careers. The following year whilst the male of this formidable duo won two CCs his litter sister went into overdrive, winning seven, five of them with BOB. Also in 2000 Dave judged the breed at Crufts.

Her brother won his title in 2001, taking the group with his third CC, when his litter sister took the RCC behind Redwitch Play Misty For me (Feel Free to Stare x Ch Redwitch She’s A Witch and She’s Red) who soon won her title. That was incidentally the year the breed had its name changed in this country to simply “Akita”. Shortly after winning his title, Feel Free To Stare developed a non-malignant tumour on his tail and specialist advice was that docking the tail was the only option. In the dog’s best interests his owners had approximately half his tail removed and he has had no problems since. However it has not impeded his stud work; he has sired ten UK Champions to date and in 2002 he was Top Stud Dog of All Breeds, topping his group in that competition in 2003 and 2004.

Amongst his offspring are Redwitch The Heat Is On (out of the litter sister to She’s A Witch) who went to Sweden where he was Top Dog of All Breeds one year, winning his title in several other countries, then returning to the UK for the summer of 2005 in the hope of adding his British title. He won 2 CCs, one with a Group and one with BOB at a Club Championship show. He then went home to Sweden but returned to England in 2006 when he won his crowning certificate at the East of England.

Another of his children to have won phenomenally overseas is Australian Grand Ch Redwitch Strike Force, the winner of 45 All Breed BISs and the leading Akita there in recent years. His dam was Redwitch Mandait Dancer (Ch Redwitch Prince Consort at Stecal x Ch Redwitch Dancing Queen at Mandait, Rave’s sister) and also in the litter were several other CC winners.